Speaking of the aforementioned nondancing dancer, I went to see Thor -- because I wanted to find out why Kenneth Branagh was directing a comic book movie. Well, the answer seems to be "For the money." It's not a bad movie; it's just not the treat for the eye I've come to expect in fantasy movies. There are a few stunning visuals, but they're high spots, not part of a consistent design. The buildings in Asgard, for instance, made me think of the façades of art deco movie houses. Most of the fight sequences were filmed with swooping cameras that keep you from seeing what's really happening. The acting is good, with the exception of an unconvincing Natalie Portman (!). I was especially taken with Stellan Skarsgård, in the sort of role Denholm Elliot was playing toward the end of his life. Thor is entertaining; it's just nothing to write home about.

Just saw Midnight in Paris...Not Allen's best by a long shot. Not up to Purple Rose to which it has been compared, but the 1920s sequences are fun. The rest of the movie is only a hook to hang those on, I guess, but it didn't do much for me.

Speaking of Margaret Thatcher (as I was in Botticelli), did you know there's already Oscar buzz about Meryl Streep's performance in a movie that won't even be released for another five months? The Iron Lady will hit the screens in December, and Streep even looks like Thatcher in the same way Helen Mirren resembled Queen Elizabeth.

I can't NOT mention it any longer. Didn't anyone go see Cowboys and Aliens? It's a real kick, right from the Clint Eastwood opening (think The Man with No Name) right through to the end. It's a summer movie, so it has to have explosions and impressive F/X. But the dialogue and the action are clever and engaging. It's the only summer movie I've wanted to see, and it's a goodie.